Dynamo Juniors extend to Austin

The Houston Dynamo are continuing their expansion into
non-MLS markets, and this time they are using a former Dynamo player to aid in
the player development process.

Paul Dalglish, instrumental in the Dynamo's 2006 MLS Cup championship, was recently named the Director of Soccer at the Lake Travis
Youth Association in Austin,
Texas. Lake
Travis is the latest club to become a
member of the Dynamo Juniors program, forming a mutually beneficial partnership
with the potential to further the Dynamo brand in central Texas.

“With my connection to Houston
from being a player and working alongside [Director of Youth Development] James
Clarkson, I believe in the Houston Dynamo and the opportunities they provide,”
Dalglish said. "This partnership is critical to us as we attempt to gain our players, both male and female, exposure from colleges. Our ultimate goal is to find players that can help [Dynamo head coach] Dominic Kinnear and the first team."

Dalglish’s playing career lasted 12 years and included stops
in the English and Scottish Premier Leagues. His stint with the Dynamo included
the 2006 Western Conference championship in which he scored
two goals and was named Man of the Match. The following week he played 80
minutes in the Dynamo’s shootout victory against the New England Revolution, helping the
team secure the MLS Cup in its first season in Houston.

In 2008, Dalglish retired from soccer and began his coaching
career with the Dynamo
Academy and Space City
Futbol Club. The following year, he accepted a position as head coach of USSF
Division 2 expansion club FC Tampa Bay. After a season in Florida,
Dalglish returned to Texas and accepted the position with Lake
Travis. Dalglish is
thrilled to work with the Dynamo for the second time.

“It’s brilliant,” he said of coming relationship with the club. “I was
involved with the Dynamo at one of the happiest times in my career and one of
the most successful parts of the team’s existence. I am proud to have played
for the Dynamo and still consider myself a fan of the club.”

Dynamo Juniors was a program instituted in 2010 to extend
the reach of the Dynamo outside of the Houston
market. To date, the club has programs in El Paso,
TX; McAllen, TX; Lafayette, LA; Gulfport, MS; Mobile, AL; Gulf Breeze, FL;
and Cocula, Mexico. Select players from these markets have the potential to earn an invitation to train with the Dynamo Academy in Houston and participate in tournaments with the club. This new partnership extends the Dynamo’s reach into central Texas.

“The club will be renamed Central Texas Dynamo Juniors,”
Clarkson said. “We are also thrilled to have Paul and his expertise as part of
our program. He knows the standards of the Dynamo organization through his
experience as both a player and a coach, and we are confident he will make great
contributions to the Dynamo
Academy and the
organization as a whole.”